Look and Live

The name of Jesus is powerful. The name of Jesus saves. To simply look unto Jesus in faith determines one’s eternal destiny. How could the name of a person be so mighty? There is only one answer, because the name of Jesus is the name of God.

We live in a mundane world of veiled reality. Without faith we cannot see past the clouds. We don’t “know” very little of anything past our own existence and experience. We have science, but science is limited to the realm of what we can measure and comprehend. What about the vast body of knowledge we cannot grasp? What role will such knowledge play in how and where we spend eternity? These are questions we can only speculate about but truth can be found in only one source, the Bible and Holy word of God, and it’s not as complicated as the intellects would have us to believe.

The name of Jesus saves. God in all of His omnipotence has made the path to Himself very simple. So simple, that many miss it. We are sinners, we are frail, we fall, we transgress the laws of God. We possess a human nature that naturally violates His commandments and because of this we experience a broken relationship, we are estranged from Him. “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good. No, not one. Romans 3:10- 12. We are on our way to hell fire when we die for our transgressions against a Holy God. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Ronans 6:23. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth as a little baby. He was the promised Saviour of the Old Testament, Emanuel, God with us. His purpose, to offer His life, His flesh and blood on the cross to take the punishment and the wrath of God the Father, that should have been ours, upon Himself to atone for the sins of the whole world. He offered Himself, a sacrificial lamb, to take away the sins of the world.

How is this act appropriated in the life of the individual such that eternal life in heaven and forgiveness of one’s sins is secured? God made it very simple, “Look and Live”. God says ” Look unto me all ye the ends of the earth and be saved for I am God and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22. Look unto the cross and be saved for all eternity from every transgression against a Holy God! How can it be so simple you ask? How can a look, some seemingly insignificant act save a human soul? It doesn’t take any work to look, no effort, or reform, no labor, or commitment. Just a look, just a call, just a sip of water from the well, just a mustard seed of faith and a living soul is transported into the kingdom of God. Just like that?? Yep, just like that.

You say, well that’s too easy, that didnt take any work on the part of mankind! Well did the creation of the universe take any work on the part of mankind? We’ve certainly proven we can ruin it, but we can take no credit for the magnificence of it’s creation. How about the conception of your own human life? Did that take any work on your part? When the sun comes up every morning, did one or any of us have a part in putting it there? Tell me, do you make your heart pump blood, how about your lungs? Do they obey your commands?

The problem with a lot of us is that we don’t know who God is, and WE want to be God. We’re not too sure about this God in the heavens or the expanse of His power or the truth of His promises, so we attempt to step into His shoes and rewrite “wisdom” according to our own feeble minds and understanding. God hides wisdom and knowledge from such fools, but freely gives it to the meek and childlike. Not fair? Well it’s his wisdom and He can give it to anyone He chooses. He made it too high for the learned, scholarly, and intellectual, but well within reach to the trusting believing one, the one who will simply take a ” look” and believe what He says.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”. This was told to the phillipian jailer when he asked how to be saved. Look and live is all you need to do. The rest is up to God. He raises the Son in your heart, and you are forever His. He seals you with the power of the Holy Spirit, and you shall NEVER perish. He does the work. Not us. Our part is to look, His part is to work. Too simple? Beware of stumbling over the rock of simplicity that is Christ. Simply look and live.